New Beginnings
by Lady Sandromeda Snupin
Summary: The curse is broken and finaly things are back to the way that they used to be. Or are they? A strong friendship seems to be a lot stronger than it used to be. Or could it be the beginning of something more. How long can Cogsworth and Lumiere hide their secret from the prince and the others in the castle. how far will they go. read if you want to find out.
1. Chapter 1

It had been a wonderful evening, though a little different to say the least. For example having the room full of human beings rather than pots, pans and other nick knacks. The room seemed a lot smaller than it used to be. It had been more than ten years since he had been around more than one person and he had to admit that even he, the major domo, was beginning to feel overwhelmed.

So, when all of his duties had been performed Cogsworth decided that he could afford to go and get some fresh air. Even though he was entitled to a break, he decided that he should be as quiet as possible so as not to draw attention to himself. It was always his luck to get called back to complete another task when he was trying to get a little personal time.

This time his luck seemed to have changed and he made it out to the small balcony with no trouble at all. As he reached the railing he let out a sigh, his whole body slumping as he leaned his elbows on the metal stopping him from falling over the edge. His bones and his muscles were weary. Maybe that was because he hadn't had a human body for ten years or simply because he worked hard that evening. It could even have been a combination of both, he really had no idea. All he knew was that he could sure use a warm bath and a good night's sleep in a proper bed.

He knew that it would be rude to leave the party however, so instead enjoyed his time out on the balcony, staring out at the gardens, highlighted beautifully by a glorious full moon and the many twinkling stars surrounding it. He sighed again. Knowing how important the celebration was, he couldn't see it ending until late into the morning, possibly even lunch time. Not that everyone else minded; they had friends to catch up with, food to eat and dancing to be done. Cogsworth didn't want any of that.

He didn't have anyone outside of the castle and everyone here saw him as more of a boss than a friend. He hadn't eaten much since turning back. As a clock, well, you didn't need to eat so it was a hard habit to start again. Now he'd just drearily pick at something here or there when he was hungry, he supposed that would be enough. As for dancing, he would rather not. If needed he could dance very well. However his partners were usually forced to dance with him and often complained that he was rather mechanical in his movements, that he had no passion. He saw no joy in frolicking about the floor, it only made one look silly.

He supposed he would just have to stand in a corner awaiting orders for what was left of the party. As he resigned himself to the fact that he would have sore feet tomorrow, he felt a hand on his back and he started.

"Relax mon ami, tis only me." It was Lumiere, standing there looking ruffled from all the work he had done that evening. He undid his necktie and top two buttons, fluffing his shirt to let in some of the cool breeze. Cogsworth couldn't help but look, it was rare to see him let his guard down as he was always prepared to impress and constantly dressed to the nines. Even though it was Lumiere who was vulnerable at the moment, Cogsworth couldn't help but feel at a loss himself. He had to admit, out of everyone in the castle, Lumiere was the only person that he considered a friend, and though he wouldn't admit it to anyone, he actually found the slender man attractive. Not that that would amount to anything but still, the sight of his collarbone was oddly…stirring.

"Busy night so far?" Cogsworth asked, his voice cracking slightly. He blamed it on all of the conversations he had had to take part in; an outsider would say he was nervous. But Cogsworth never got nervous, it wasn't befitting of a gentlemen.

"Oh, is it ever! There is definitely reason to celebrate but work has never been so hard," he paused, then gestured to his legs with his flamboyant hands. "For example, I now have two legs." Cogsworth chuckled. Yes, at least when he was a clock he had two feet like things. Lumiere was forced to hop everywhere for ten years.

Cogsworth rubbed at one of his shoulders and rolled his head around on his neck, trying to ease the tension.

"Ah, feeling the tension of hard work huh?" Lumiere stood up straighter and came around behind Cogsworth, a new spring in his step, flexing his hands together to stretch them out, his joint cracking slightly. He then rested his hands on Cogsworth's tired aching shoulders. Cogsworth blushed slightly. He was used to the usual friendly gesture, but feeling his warm hands on his back sent a tingly sensation racing from where Lumiere touched, throughout his entire body. He could feel his whole body heating up; he just hoped that Lumiere wouldn't notice. It became harder to hide his blush however when Lumiere started to move his hands across his back, working on the tight muscles with his fingertips. Lumiere was just being a good friend, Cogsworth thought, but why did it have to feel so sinful. Was he doing that on purpose or was it simply because it _was_ Lumiere. Either way, it felt very nice to his sore body. He sighed and relaxed more on his elbows, leaning forward to rest his head on his forearms.

"That's it mon ami, relax. No one will see us, its ok to let your guard down sometimes." Lumiere leaned in and softly whispered in Cogsworth's ear. It tickled and sent more of those tingly feelings through him. He moaned a little, but then started. What did Lumiere just say? About no one seeing us?

"Lumiere, not that it's any of my business but uh…you and Fifi." His voice got softer as he became more apprehensive. "I would have thought that the two of you would have plans for this evening. You know, now that you can go on a proper human date." Cogsworth's voice sped up, trying to get past the difficult conversation. Lumiere sighed, his hands stopping their movements and leaned on his elbows at Cogsworth's side. Cogsworth looked up and waited for his friend to say something. Lumiere wasn't this quiet unless something was wrong and that made him worried.

"Lumiere?" he asked gently, not wanting to seem pushy but knowing that he couldn't help him unless he spoke up.

"It's funny," Lumiere said, sadness and disappointment laced through his words. "I thought that after all we had been though, she would have stayed with me. It has been about five years since we started dating," he paused. "Apparently not only am I less of a man than I used to be, but apparently my promiscuity has been beaten. She has already found another lover," he added.

"After only a day?" Cogsworth was astounded. The two had been so very close, how could she suddenly give up on him.

" She told me that during those five years she put all of her effort into keeping the emotions of love alive, but that it was all for nothing. She said that times had changed; she would rather be seen with that pig head Gaston than with me. I can't help but feel that my use by date has been reached," he sighed, looking thoroughly depressed.

"What a load of nonsense." Cogsworth piped up, rubbing his friend's shoulders as they sagged in sadness. "That…that-tart doesn't know what she's missing. As for being out of date, poppycock! Being a gentleman never gets old. We have to consider ourselves lucky. We could be ten years older but we haven't aged a year since we turned into household objects. All this means is you have a fresh start. You may date whomever you please now, and you don't have to change to do that. You are fine the way you are." Cogsworth added shyly. He had to say, in a way he was pleased that the two weren't together anymore. She had always been a bad influence on him. Lumiere deserved better.

"You think so mon ami?" Lumiere said, pushing himself up a little. It seems as though what hit him most wasn't losing his girlfriend to another but the insults to his soul. To know that who you are is not good enough is a horrible thing to experience. He just hoped he could get Lumiere to see the truth.

"Absolutely," Cogsworth said with sincerity. Lumiere perked up and put on his dazzling smile. Cogsworth repressed a shiver which was odd as it wasn't cold.

"Cogsworth, you will always be my friend, won't you? Despite how we argue sometimes?" he grasped Cogsworth's hands in his own warm ones and held them close to his heart, accidently pulling Cogsworth towards Lumiere until they were standing nearly nose to nose.

"Well of course," he said nervously, adding quickly, "who else could put up with your ways?" Lumiere smiled sweetly, his eyes soft and caring. His eyelashes kissed his cheeks as he leaned forward and pressed his soft lips against Cogsworth's.


	2. Chapter 2

Cogsworth was more than a little shocked. He knew that the French often showed affection through kissing. But never, in all the time that he knew him had he ever kissed him on the lips. No-one had ever kissed him there before. It was strange but warm and confusing all at the same time and, without meaning to, he closed his eyes and leaned into it slightly, enjoying the way it felt. Lumiere sighed and placed his hand against Cogsworth cheek, slowly caressing down his face to cup the back of his neck and sweetly deepened the kiss. Cogsworth gasped in surprise as one of Lumiere's fingers grazed against his ear and he suddenly felt Lumiere's tongue caress his lips, gently entering his mouth to stoke his own tongue. Cogsworth felt himself become weak at the knees. Lumiere noticed and leaned him against the railing, his knee slipping between Cogsworth's legs.

"Ah, wait…what-?!" He stopped suddenly when Lumiere started to attack his neck with teeth, lips and tongue. Slowly he moved up to his earlobe and gently nibbled at it causing Cogsworth to buckle completely under the pleasure, Lumiere's thigh rubbing more forcefully against his private parts.

"No stops…wait, ha!" He looked down shyly, a heavy blush on his cheeks; he knew where this was going. He may not know much about this kind of thing but he knew the basics. There was just one thing he couldn't understand. "Why?" he asked simply. Lumiere raised half lidded eyes to meet Cogsworth's. He gasped at what he saw as Cogsworth had tears in his eyes which were threatening to overflow. He caught one with his thumb as it began to fall and wiped it away.

"Because I have been with you for a long time and, even though we fight and have our differences, I have always held you dear. I have always wanted to court you but have been unsure if you would allow it. Please say you will Mon Cher, I want to love you will all of my being and I can only hope that you will do the same for me," he said hugging Cogsworth close, letting the fire fizzle down to a comfortable level.

"But-for one thing, we're men, I don't know if it's allowed," he said, trying to put a little distance between them, but finding it hard as he was stuck against the railing. It was a bit of a longshot but he had to say something. There was no way something so good could be right.

"So what? I love you. I don't think about gender when it comes to love. I know you have feelings for me, even though you've attempted to hide it from me." Cogsworth gasped. He _had_ noticed, he had thought that he had hidden his little problems so well. The small gasp whenever they touched, the blush he would get when Lumiere kissed him on the cheek. Had he known all along?

"But I'm so unappealing, you could have anyone. There's nothing about me worth having," Cogsworth said sadly, staring at his shoes. That's why he had never dated before.

"That is nonsense." Lumiere said firmly. His lifted Cogsworth's chin with a gentle hand and raised his head to meet his gaze. "You are smart, organised, soft hearted (though you pretend you are not), a real gentleman and I think you are cute. Really, what's not to like?" he asked.

Cogsworth's heart melted and tears began to flow quite freely onto his cheeks. He sobbed a little which he had always thought looked quite ugly on him. To have Lumiere say such sweet things to him _and_ mean it was something he had only ever dreamed of.

"Oh Mon Cher, come here." Lumiere pulled him close and let him cry on his shoulder. Cogsworth wrapped his arms around the blonde and cried heavily, letting out the occasional sob. They stayed like that for quite a while. When they finally pulled apart, Cogsworth put on a brave face, dabbing at his eyes with a handkerchief and said,

"Don't tell anyone I did that." He straightened his shirt and tie as if that made his point clear.

"Did what?" Lumiere joked, picking at his sleeve in mock interest, pretending that he had already forgotten. Cogsworth gave a short chuckle.

"Shall we head back inside?" Cogsworth asked, peeking around the door to see how busy it was inside.

"I suppose we have to, though I would much rather have a warm bath and go to bed." Lumiere said whilst straightening his clothes and doing up his tie.

"My thoughts exactly. Isn't it brilliant being able to sleep in an actual bed? I think I tried it once when I was a clock, but I didn't do it again after I realised I couldn't get up once I laid down," he laughed.

"Oh yes, I remember that! How many days were you stuck there again?" Lumiere asked as they made their way; hand in hand back into he crowds of people.

"3 days! It's a good thing we didn't need sustenance or I could have died," Cogsworth said melodramatically.

"It's lucky your white knight appeared in your time of need," Lumiere smirked, nudging Cogsworth in the ribs.

"Some white knight! You _pushed_ me off of the bed, straight onto the hard floor," When Lumiere laughed he added, "It was a long way down back then, you could have broken something," he scoffed.

"I am sorry Mon Cher, do you forgive me?" he asked, leaning on Cogsworth's shoulder and looking up at him with puppy dog eyes.

"Well…I suppose I have to, but don't you think it would be better if you stopped clinging to me. Not that I mind," he added quickly, not wanting Lumiere to think that he didn't enjoy physical affection. "It's just that…everyone is looking at us, they might start… presuming things," Cogsworth said, quite aware of the stares they were receiving from dignitaries, other guests and even some of the castle staff.

"And what is wrong with that Mon Cher? If I love someone I like to let the world know. For one thing, it shows my love for you and second, it stops others from getting their grubby hands all over you," he explained simply.

"Yes, but what would the Master say? I know that the Mistress is a little more understanding, but he could… well, he could be tempted to…"

"We can only hope that the mistress has rubbed off on him more than that." Cogsworth still looked rather unsure, so Lumiere added, all jokes aside, "But if worst comes to worst Mon Cher, I will stand up for you, for us."

Cogsworth felt touched at his sincerity but added quietly, "what if he decide that it is best for the castle and his wife that we leave?" The castle had been his home for a long, long time, ever since he was a boy. The thought of leaving was terrible. He had honestly thought that the castle would be where he spent his final hours. He had already decided to be buried in a small secluded part of the garden and have a great oak tree planted on top of him. There would be a small plaque in front of it that read 'here lies Cogsworth, a true gentleman to the very end'. He might have to change his plans.

Lumiere saw Cogsworth lost in thought with a sad look on his face, even his moustache seemed to wilt somewhat. By now they were standing in a corner of the large ballroom, waiting to be of service. Lumiere took Cogsworth's hand in both of his and held them tight. "Then Mon Cher, we will leave. But we will leave with dignity and strength that is befitting of a couple like us. We will retire to the French countryside and enjoy each other's company for the rest of our lives." Lumiere's smile got bigger as his idea took shape. Needless to say, it was contagious.

"Nice to see that someone has got a plan." Cogsworth chuckled, then adding, "how come the French countryside? Not that I _dislike_ the French countryside but the British countryside can be just as beautiful." He smirked before Lumiere took the 'bait'.

"Ah, I'm not saying that the British countryside is less beautiful, just that the French countryside is _better_." After a pause where both of them were looking into each other's eyes in absolute seriousness, they both burst into laughter. Yes they were quite a pair. At least they would never get bored with each other.


	3. Chapter 3

"Oh, my word! What a night!" Mrs Potts sighed as she set the tray of empty teapots and cups on the draining board to be washed. "I thought it would never end," she then plopped herself down in a nearby chair, fanning herself with a napkin.

"Ah ah ah!" Cogsworth tutted. "The night may be over, Mrs Potts, but tomorrow the real work beings. The clean-up, but- let me finish!" he quickly added as all of the staff moaned drearily. At the moment the kitchen was full of the castles employees, having just dragged themselves from the ballroom for a quick staff meeting before bed. Needless to say, they all looked exhausted. "As you know, the Master and Mistress leave early tomorrow morning for their honeymoon." Cogsworth stated. "It is now 7 am. I will give you until lunchtime to wake up, so you have five hours to rest, it's not much but it's better than starting the cleaning now." Cogsworth continued. "We will meet here at 12.30 for lunch and a small meeting before we get to work. If you all do well, we can end the day at five, as I'm sure you will all still be tired."

"Yes!", "god bless ya Cogsworth." And "thank heavens" were sighed in relief all around the kitchen.

"Hem hem. They will be away for approximately 2 weeks and, if we do a little cleaning and repair work a day, we can have most of the afternoons off. But if I see slacking off, you can forget about it!" he added firmly. He understood as well as anyone how tired everyone was, but he would _not_ be given a bad reputation for someone else's laziness.

"You heard the man, off to bed with all of you." Lumiere said, shooing everyone out of the kitchen. Mrs Potts lagged behind long enough to say,

"Well done boys," and then the kitchen was empty.

"Thankyou Cogsworth. I know that you would rather have all of the work done as soon as possible. Thank you for taking it easy on us," Lumiere smiled.

"Well, we haven't been humans for a long time, I'm sure that everyone has personal business to take care of, not to mention getting used to having muscles again. Besides, the more that the staff are relaxed and happy, the harder they will work when they are on shift," Cogsworth said. He had thought it through and he knew full well from his past experiences that the harder he pushed, the more they ignored him.

"Too right, Mon Cher," Lumiere was glad to see that Cogsworth was loosening up. "I seem to be rubbing off on you."

"Just so long as I don't get a maid fetish." Cogsworth scoffed.

"It is not a fetish, my friend, but a way of life." Lumiere stated proudly as if it was something everyone should boast about.

"Not anymore though, right?" Cogsworth asked quietly. He knew how flirtatious Lumiere could be, he couldn't stand to have his heart broken. Lumiere saw his sad face and downcast eyes. He gently caressed Cogsworth's cheek; Cogsworth absentmindedly leaned into the touch.

"Just you and me, Mon Cher," he said and leaned in to kiss Cogsworth's forehead, then each cheek, before he moved to his lips and kissed him sweetly.

This time, Cogsworth didn't feel so confused and uncomfortable as he did before and kissed Lumiere back straight away. Lumiere held Cogsworth's hand and travelled his other hand across his side, back and occasionally his ass. Cogsworth jumped a little at the contact there and Lumiere chuckled.

"I assumed from earlier that you had never done this before, now I am certain," Lumiere nuzzled Cogsworth's cheek before taking a step back.

"Why did you stop?" Cogsworth asked with a blush- not that he was eager of course.

"Mon Cher, I might find it hard to hold back once we start, I want you to be ready and willing for me to devour you. I want it to be the best experience of our lives," Cogsworth blushed harder. Lumiere had really thought about this and, even though he wanted to continue, he knew that Lumiere was right. He had to be ready and willing to go the whole way.

"Then…I will let you know when I am ready."

"I can't wait-wait no I can, that's the whole point, it's just that the anticipation is exciting no?" Lumiere stumbled over his words. Cogsworth giggled, it's not every day that you make the smoothest man in the castle lose his cool.

"I think it's time we both get ready for bed. We need to be well rested for tomorrow," Cogsworth sighed as they both started to walk towards their quarters.

"I agree. I just got both feet back and now I can't feel either of them," he said, shuffling his feet to emphasise how numb they were.

They soon stopped outside their respective doors, both of which were next to each other. They gave each other one last hug and bid each other good night, but before they entered their doors, Cogsworth pulled Lumiere's necktie to bring him down for one last kiss. Lumiere looked surprised but let him continue.

"Can we still have kisses like today though? It's just…I rather liked them." Lumiere gave him a look that clearly said, 'you are more flirtatious than I thought' and said, "Yes Mon Cher, I think that will be fine." Lumiere kissed his forehead one last time. "Now, to sleep! It was your idea after all," Lumiere laughed. Cogsworth blushed yet again, heavens he had been doing that a lot today, if he was not carful he would end up with one stuck to his face permanently. He felt embarrassed and happy all at the same time, it almost didn't feel normal.

"Right, um…well, goodnight," he said shyly.

"Oui, goodnight Mon Cher."

As Cogsworth closed his eyes and leaned against his closed door, he suddenly realised how very tired he was. It had been such a long day but, what had started out as a busy workday had turned into something unexpected but not entirely unwelcome. He sighed again and, with an effort, pushed himself off of the wooden door and closed his curtains so that he wouldn't wake up due to the bright light now streaming in through the glass. He didn't set his alarm clock, unlike the rest of the castle staff he didn't need one to wake up on time. He guessed that after living 10 years as a clock automatically meant that you knew what time it was. He was just happy that he didn't chime on the hour like he used to.

Even though he was bone dead tired, it still took him ages to fall asleep. His mind was just abuzz with...everything! He was human again, what was he going to do with his new lease on life? What would it be like when the master and the mistress came back; did they plan on having children? Oh god! That gave him a grey hair moment! He could just imagine children pulling at him from all sides, and his heart did a horrible stutter. The next two weeks would be the best though. Cogsworth wondered how his relationship with Lumiere would change and grow. He didn't have any past experiences to go on so he was totally in the dark as to what would happen. He lay in his soft bed for what seemed like hours (but he knew that it had been exactly 27 minutes) until he finally fell asleep.

In the next room, lumiere only took only 5 minutes to fall asleep, but those few minutes were filled with thoughts of future dates, Cogsworth's feelings and the constant 'why didn't I do this sooner?'


	4. Chapter 4

Despite being tired and having a knack for sleeping in, Lumiere was up about an hour before he needed to be. Even so, he swung his feet over the side of the bed and yawned loudly, stretching his arms and back, hearing them pop as he did so. He might as well get up now, as there was nothing worse than drifting back off to sleep only to be awoken again, in what seems like moments later. He had a good feeling about today. Now that everything was back to rights, everything seemed fresh and new, he had even started a relationship with Cogsworth, which he almost couldn't have dreamed would have been possible.

"What to wear, what to wear?" he pondered aloud and, as he opened up his personal closet, he was disgusted to find many moths flying about his belongings. "What are you doing in there, little pests, those are _my _clothes! God, I hope you little buggers left me something wearable." That seemed quite unlikely, as a lot of his clothes were quite old and/or worn now, some even being more holes than cloth. Many of the workers here would have the same problem. But none of that mattered; after all, all that they had to do at the moment was clean. With this in mind he pulled out a red billowy shirt that looked as though it would hold and a pair of pants that had…well, a few patches on them anyway. There was not much to be done about it until the Master came back with his new bride, then they could go out and buy what they needed.

Lumiere figured that it wouldn't matter much if he arrived for lunch a touch early, surely some would be up by now to keep him company. As he slipped through the door, however, he saw only one, his Cogsworth. He was about to extravagantly prance over (as he usually did), wrap his arms around the shorter man and give him a warm 'good morning, Mon Cher!' But something held him back. Cogsworth looked a mess, and it wasn't because of the state of his work clothes either. He had his head in his hands, staring into his preferred earl grey tea as though hoping it would swallow him. Not a good sign for so early in the day. Occasionally he sighed and pulled at his hair which, Lumiere realised, was actually his own hair. It was currently shoulder length and wavy, though it was tied back in a simple ponytail so that it wouldn't get in the way of hard work. Lumiere would have been all over it if his beloved didn't look so…lost.

Instead, he walked up behind him and gave his stiff shoulders a squeeze, earning a slight jolt of surprise. His shoulders were even stiffer than they had been last night on the balcony, he could tell instantly that something had gone wrong.

"Mon Cher, please don't keep all of this stress to yourself, let me help you. Tell me what's happened," he pulled up a chair beside Cogsworth's, who took a shaky breath before saying in a voice filled with tiredness and worry,

"They're gone. They just up and left early this morning and all they left was a note." Lumiere kept a reassuring hand on his lovers shoulder and picked up a stray piece of paper with the other. This had to be what Cogsworth was referring to.

**We apologize for our sudden departure but, we believe, our time here has come to an end. During our time here we have worked hard and been through a lot more than the average servant. We will enjoy the rest of our lives elsewhere.**

**Yours sincerely- staff members.**

Below that was a list of signatures belonging to all those who had decided to leave at such short notice.

"My god, that's nearly everyone!" Lumiere gasped.

"I know! What are we supposed to do know? We have a whole castle to take care of before the Master returns in two weeks and we only have ten or so servants left. This is impossible! Of all the times to leave! How am I supposed to explain this to him when he comes back!?" Lumiere felt Cogsworth's shoulders sag in defeat and, he had to say, he understood entirely. It was Cogsworth's job to maintain order in the household, but now nearly that entire household had abandoned their duties. It left his sweetheart in a dreadful position.

"Who do we have left?" he asked, squeezing the tired shoulders occasionally to reassure him.

"There's you, me, Mrs Potts and her children, the cook and his two assistants, you know, the married couple." Lumiere nodded, they were nice and they wouldn't be leaving as they had planned to bring up a child here. "Charlie the coachman and his stable hand, those twin maids; they're young but have no family to return to," Lumiere almost chuckled, he knew them and had to admit, they were a little odd and tended to keep to themselves, but they were good workers. "The old groundskeeper Kevin and his family…and the dog, apparently he doesn't belong to anyone in particular." Cogsworth sighed, looking quite tempted to bang his head on the table. Lumiere suddenly saw the seriousness of the situation. Many of those that remained were old and well past retirement, others barely of working age, practically children. On top of all that, there was so few of them. But…

"You are forgetting Mon Cher, those who have stayed and loyal and hard working. They will not slack off when it comes to taking care of this old place. It may take a little longer and we will all need to take up more jobs in a wider range of areas, but I'm sure that we will be just fine. As for how to explain this to the Master, I'm sure he will understand as well as any what we have all been through. We could always hire some fresh blood, who know, it may be just what this place needs. Chin up, Mon Cher," Lumiere placed a fingertip under Cogsworth's chin and raised his head. "Everything will work out," Cogsworth smiled weakly, but it was a smile nevertheless.

oooooooooooooooooooooooooooo oooooooooooooooooooooooooooo ooooooooooooooooooooo

As they still had a hour to go before what remained of the workers showed up, Lumiere busied himself with preparing a couple of trays of sandwiches for everyone, ("You cannot have everyone work on an empty stomach and, let's face it, my sandwiches _are_ the best.") whilst Cogsworth brought out paper, his quill and inkwell to start planning how they were going to complete such a large amount of work in such a short amount of time. Lumiere could make sandwiches with his eyes closed, so he often stole glances over at Cogsworth who was either scribbling furiously or pulling his hair in stress and confusion. Lumiere would have to get him to stop that if Cogsworth wanted to keep all of his hairs. It was times like these that he was happy to have the job he did. It made him happy to work with food and to see how that, in turn, made others happy. Lumiere simply couldn't see the joy in organising … everything. So Lumiere asked,

"Say, your job is so hard and complicated and you don't seem to enjoy yourself at all. Why put yourself through all this stress?" Cogsworth looked up from his work and gave Lumiere a look.

"Oh, I do enjoy it; I do, even though it must not seem like it. To be in charge of so many things and to know that my opinion matters- well, it makes me feel important, like I'm worth it. Besides, if work wasn't a little complicated I'd get bored. Some puzzles can be good for your mind, no?"

"I never thought about it that way. But, you know… to me, you will always be worth it," Lumiere flashed a sincere smile. Cogsworth blushed deep red before giving a small cough and continuing with his scribbling.

Soon everyone, which was obviously a lot less than they were used to, turned up for the meeting before lunch. The many confused looks seemed to burn holes into Cogsworth until he finally explained the sudden lack of people, Lumiere squeezing his hand under the table the entire time. Once he had finished his explanation the table erupted with all manner of complaints and bad mouthing though all, thankfully, to do with the people who left, not anything Cogsworth had done.

"Don't worry dear; we'll all make up for what's been lost. None of this is your doing," Mrs Potts said, laying a gentle hand on his arm.

"You got that right!" Kevin called out, followed by agreement from everyone else. Cogsworth looked grateful and Lumiere felt heartened at everyone's good will towards him. Soon everyone was tucking into their sandwiches and, even though the mood had improved, Lumiere couldn't help but notice that Cogsworth hadn't touched anything other than his stone cold tea.


End file.
